The Green Monster at Fenway Park is baseball’s most famous outfield fence.
Standing 37 feet, 2 inches, over left field, the fence offers a familiar shade of green, is home to one of the game’s most iconic manual scoreboards, and is a stunning visual backdrop for fans in attendance. The Green Monster has foiled its share of hitters and has played a role in countless highlights over the years. Few players forget the first time they sent a home run over the fence — perhaps smashing a parked vehicle beyond Lansdowne Street.
Boston’s Green Monster is undoubtedly iconic, but it’s hardly the only towering outfield fence in baseball. In fact, several others are nearly as tall as it — and even one surpasses it in height. And many of these fences have catchy names of their own.
Here’s a look at five outfield fences around baseball that pay tribute to the Green Monster. They appear in order from tallest to shortest.
Arch Nemesis at WellSpan Park (37 feet, 8 inches)
There are several outfield fences around baseball that tower at least 30 feet above the field of play, and it might surprise some fans that the tallest outfield fence in professional baseball is found in independent ball, not at an affiliated ballpark. The honor belongs to WellSpan Park, home to the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The facility boasts a 37-foot, 8-inch left field fence that is 6 inches taller than Fenway’s Green Monster. Dubbed the Arch Nemesis, the fence sits 300 feet from home plate.
York’s Arch Nemesis’s name pays tribute to its location. It runs almost parallel to Arch Street, and its position prevents most towering batted balls to left field from landing on the street. Like the Green Monster, this left field fence features a manual scoreboard. There aren’t any seats on the Arch Nemesis, but fans can walk behind it, thanks to WellSpan Park’s 360-degree concourse. From the concourse, it’s possible to watch York staffers operate the scoreboard — something that fans seldom can see at other ballparks.
Maine Monster at Hadlock Field (37 feet)
If they spend time in Double-A, some Boston Red Sox prospects might not find Fenway’s Green Monster quite as intimidating. That’s because Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, has a monstrous outfield fence of its own. The left field fence is cleverly dubbed the Maine Monster. It gives hitters in the Boston system a taste of what’s to come if they make it to the show. The 37-foot fence is just 2 inches shorter than its Fenway Park counterpart and even has a Citgo sign and Coca-Cola bottle to give it more of an authentic Green Monster look. The Hadlock Field fence is green, but a darker shade than the classic Fenway green.
At 315 feet from home plate, the Maine Monster is 5 feet deeper to left field than the Green Monster. The Maine Monster hasn’t been at Hadlock Field for the ballpark’s entire life; it appeared prior to the 2003 season after the franchise switched affiliations from the Marlins to the Red Sox. Unfortunately for fans, it’s not possible to sit atop the Maine Monster, as a rail line runs directly behind it. The fence features a scoreboard that mimics the one in the Green Monster, but it’s digital instead of manually operated.
Right Field Monster at McCormick Field (36 feet)
Asheville’s McCormick Field is notable for many reasons. Opened in time for the 1924 MiLB season, it’s the third-oldest ballpark in the minors. It also appeared in “Bull Durham,” a film often cited as the best baseball movie of all time. Given these significant details, it might be easy to overlook that McCormick Field has a monster of its own. Or that this North Carolina ballpark’s fence is only 14 inches shorter than Fenway’s Green Monster. Unlike the other tall fences on this list, McCormick’s monster is in right field. It stands just 297 feet from home plate, making it the most-reachable monster on this list.
Whereas the other monster fences tend to be a single color with a few advertising markings on them, the monster at McCormick Field is completely covered in billboards. There aren’t any seats atop right field at this ballpark, but fans have an alternate option if they’re seeking a unique, elevated view of the field of play. It’s popular to climb to the top of the bleachers at Memorial Stadium, a multi-use facility that sits beyond the McCormick Field outfield. From this vantage point, it’s possible to enjoy a nice view of the ballpark.
Blue Monster at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (32 feet)
There are lots of similarities between the left field fence at Durham Bulls Athletic Park and Fenway Park — with one unmistakable difference. The Durham ballpark’s fence is blue, not green, earning it the name, “Blue Monster.” Like its counterpart in Boston, the DBAP fence features a manual scoreboard. The Blue Monster is 32 feet in height, making it more than 5 feet shorter than its famed green counterpart. It’s also situated 305 feet from home plate, which means that it’s a little more reachable to batters than the Green Monster. Interestingly, the Blue Monster isn’t the most famous sight in left field. That honor belongs to the iconic “Hit Bull, Win Steak” sign, which is situated just behind the fence.
One of the most appealing things about DBAP’s Blue Monster is that any fan with a ticket can stand atop it. Whereas the prices to sit on Fenway’s Green Monster are prohibitive, you can perch behind the Blue Monster with the cheapest ticket in the ballpark. Design-wise, the Blue Monster is topped with a glass fence that rises to about waist level. The outfield concourse runs the length of the Blue Monster, making it easy for fans to find a spot to hang out and enjoy the view. A bit of fun trivia: Durham’s official mascot is the well-known Wool E. Bull, but he’s occasionally joined by another mascot named the Blue Monster.
Green Monster at Fluor Field at the West End (30 feet)
Hadlock Field’s Maine Monster isn’t the first tall left field fence that Boston farmhands can see. If they spend time with the High-A Greenville Drive, they’ll experience looking at a monster-style fence from the batter’s box. The Drive’s home ballpark, Fluor Field at the West End, has a 30-foot monster fence that is equipped with a manual scoreboard. Standing 310 feet from home plate, it’s a fairly close facsimile of the Fenway fence, although it’s a darker shade of green and 7 feet, 2 inches shorter.
Greenville’s Green Monster has seats that cost as little as $20 when you buy them in advance. The seats are comfortable, swiveling seats that are a step up from standard stadium seats. A standing-room deck behind the Monster seats is also an option, costing $15 per ticket. The ballpark’s Green Monster is far from being the lone feature that pays tribute to Fenway Park. Fluor Field at the West End also has a Pesky’s Pole-inspired right field foul pole.
